Merkley seeks federal support for EVs

Sen. Jeff Merkley is sponsoring a $3 billion electric car bill which would give cities $250 million each to build EV charging stations.

The Promoting Electric Vehicles Act would also offer incentives to large companies to develop electric cars.

The White House has signaled support for the bill, Merkley said. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid wants a vote on the Senate floor soon. And co-sponsor Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., can help round up Republican support in the House. “When gas prices are $4 a gallon, certainly it makes everyone pay attention,” Merkley said. But the high prices that drivers are facing right now are only the beginning, he said. The demand for gasoline in China and other Asian countries is increasing exponentially, he said, and that will continue to drive prices up.

Merkley praised Arcimoto and other electric vehicle start-ups. “We’re hoping our homegrown Oregon company will succeed and take a significant share of this marketplace. We’re cheering them on,” he said, before hopping into “Red 5,” Arcimoto’s fifth-generation prototype and tooling down Sixth Avenue in the Whiteaker neighborhood.

Read more at The Register-Guard.

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